Don Cudd’s Bio
Thanks for being curious enough to check out my bio page. I am a formally trained teacher certified to teach English and Journalism in Texas public schools. Since 1997, I have taught writing classes in high schools and colleges, and I have tutored students of all ages and backgrounds.
I am not your typical teacher, though. I have tried twice to do what typical teachers do, and just was not up to the job. (Here’s the story of my last ill-fated attempt in 2003.) With these experiences, I have decided that much of what happens in a typical school is not conducive to learning. And that why I have devoted my career to the type of teaching I have found works best: one-on-one tutoring.
My resume below may give you a better idea of my education credentials. It also lists the highlights of my other career as a writer and media personality. I hope you will also explore the many articles I have written about my experiences teaching, my ideas on education, and my tips for students.
Resume
Education
Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
- 33 hours toward Master of Arts Degree in Mass Communication (fall 2001 - present)
- 9 graduate hours in Education
- Master’s Thesis (as yet unfinished) research has focused on incorporating “Media Literacy” into public school curriculum.
Texas State University
- Bachelor of Arts Degree in English (1997)
- Texas Teacher Certification in English and Journalism
Other schools attended: University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism (1990-1992); Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas (1986-1988)
Employment
- Freelance Writer and Writing Tutor (2004 - Present)
- Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas - Writing Tutor (2004 - 2006)
- Marshall High School, Falls Church, VA - English and Journalism Teacher (2003 - 2004)
- Southwest Texas State University - Mass Communication Graduate Assistant (2001 - 2003)
- Hill Country News, Cedar Park, Tx (weekly newspaper) - Chief Reporter (2000 - 2001)
- Coastal Bend E-Press, Corpus Christi, Texas (on-line newspaper) - Founder (1999-2000)
- Brazosport Sun, Freeport, Tx (weekly newspaper) - Founder, Publisher (1999)
- Brazorian News, Lake Jackson, Tx (weekly newspaper ) - Associate Editor (1998-1999)
- Yoakum Herald Times (weekly newspaper) - Editor (1998)
- Gonzales High School, Gonzales, Tx - Journalism Teacher(1997)
- Southwest Texas State University - Residence Life Assistant (1995-1997)
- Navarro High School, Geronimo, Tx - Student Teacher in English and Journalism (1997)
- KBST, Big Spring, Tx - Production Director, Mid-day Air Talent (1995)
- KOUL Corpus Christi, Tx - Asst. Program Director, Nighttime Air-talent (1992 - 1995)
- KQTX Corpus Christi, Tx - Nightime Air-talent (1992)
- KIBL Beeville, Tx - Program Director, News Director (1989- 1990)
- KRYS Corpus Christi, Tx - Asst. News Director, Morning Show Producer, Air-talent (1988-89)
- KIOX - AM, Bay City, Tx - News Director (1988)
- Angleton Times, Angleton, Tx - Sports Editor (1988)
- The Foghorn (Del Mar College student newspaper) - Editor, Assistant Editor (1986-88)
Awards and Honors
- Won the Southwest Texas State University Mass Communication Department’s award for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student. This award is sponsored by the Instructional and Development Division of the International Communication Association. (2002)
- Staff member of The Hill Country News, the Texas Community Newspapers Association General Excellence Award winner in 1999 and 2000.
- Hosted top rated night radio show (adults 25- 64) in Corpus Christi — 1993
- Named first student editor of the Del Mar College student newspaper - 1987 -88
- Named Outstanding Journalism Student, Del Mar College - 1988
Courses Taught
- Writing for the Mass Media– Taught a number of lab sections of this course as part of graduate assistant duties at Southwest Texas State University. The introductory writing course covered the basics of writing for newspapers, radio, television, public relations and advertising. Played a major role in revising the course and won the school’s Outstanding Teaching award (see above) for this work.
- High school publications – Advised the staff of the student newspaper at George C. Marshall High Supervised newspaper and yearbook staffs at Gonzales High School (1997). Also taught the school’s broadcasting and photo journalism courses.
- College publication – Served as an informal advisor to the editors and staff of the Southwest Texas State University student newspaper, the University Star (2001-2003)
- High School English – Taught three sections of freshman English at George C. Marshall High. Taught freshman and sophomore classes during time as student teacher at Navarro High school. Covered units on Homer, Shakespeare, and research paper writing. Also participated in a revision of Gonzales High School’s English curriculum.
- Other – *Served four semesters as a teaching assistant for the Mass Media Law course at Southwest Texas State University. *Have also worked informally since 1988 with dozens of high school and college students interested in the media. *Worked with Southwest Texas State faculty on an inituative to establish a media literacy course in the university’s core curriculum.
Scholarly work
- Mass Communication 1301 Course Plan — Plan adopted in 2003 by the Mass Communication faculty at Southwest Texas State University for use in the school’s class for beginning media writers.
- Media Literacy World Wide — paper presented during Third World Studies Conference, University of Nebraska at Omaha (October, 2002)
- Not necessarily what’s going on: A study of media portrayal of crime — paper accepted for presentation during the 2002 symposium of the Southwestern Association of Educators of Journalism and Mass Communication.
- Media Literacy Levels at Texas State — presentation during Texas State University’s Mass Communication Week, based on the paper “A study evaluating the effectiveness of media literacy education” (March 2002)
- Building Prestige: An analysis of Texas State’s plans to upgrade to Division I-A football — paper completed during Issues in Advertising and Public Relations Management graduate course. (Dec. 2001)